Please note that this will be the final Weekly District Update of the summer. We will continue to share updates and information separately via albanyschools.org and all of our communications platforms.
Welcome to the new school year
The 2020-21 school year is underway! We were excited to welcome our students in our virtual orientation kickoff sessions Wednesday and are looking forward to continuing our partial-day orientation program in the coming days.
We are aware that there were problems Wednesday with the links for these orientation sessions in some cases, both viewing them live and watching the recordings later. We are working on correcting those issues and will update the links as soon as we can.
Schedules for elementary students are available via each student’s district Google email account and in our schooltool parent portal. Schedules for middle school and high school students will be available via those platforms Thursday. If you need any help with your student network login credentials, please contact your school.
Here is an overview of our schedule for the rest of this week and next week.
Sept. 10-11
- Elementary
- Early start – 8-11:15 a.m.
- Late start – 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- Middle school
- 12:10-3 p.m.
- High school
- Noon-3 p.m.
Sept. 14-17
- Elementary
- Early start – 8-11:15 a.m.
- Late start – 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- Middle school
- 12:10-3 p.m.
- High school
- noon-3 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 18 -- No school for students
County offers immunization appointments
With the new school year approaching, a reminder that students need to meet all immunization requirements to attend school, whether it’s in-person or virtually.
The Albany County Health Department is opening for immunization appointments. You can call (518) 447-4589 to schedule an appointment. Your child’s doctor’s office also is able to schedule your child for an appointment to get the required immunizations now.
New York has strict rules regarding immunizations, and children who are missing required immunizations will not be allowed to go to school beyond the first 14 days. Some things to note:
- Most kindergartners need their booster shots if they didn't get them at age 4
- Sixth-graders need a Tetanus/pertussis shot: Tdap
- Since students also need a meningitis shot in seventh grade, you can save time and ask for both at this visit
- Seventh-graders need a meningitis shot: MCV4
- Seniors need a second dose of meningitis MCV4 if they are 16 or older
- So if they are at the doctor and are 16 years old, no matter what grade they are in at school, ask to get the MCV4 so you don't need to make a special trip for that immunization later.
Your doctor will know which immunizations your child is due for, but you also can reach out to your school nurse if you have any questions or would like more information.
Quick tips on how to make a face covering at home
In need of a face covering before leaving home and don’t have a clean one handy? Check out this video advice from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams on a quick and easy way to make one at home to help keep yourself healthy and safe, and to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Social-emotional supports
In our continued emphasis on addressing social-emotional needs for the upcoming school year, the district's Pupil Personnel Services Department is sharing a series of resources to help employees, students and families cope during this unsettling time.
The New York State School Mental Health Resource and Training Center compiled a variety of resources to assist families and students in learning more about mental health. Be sure to check out the organization’s monthly family education webinar and Virtual Wellness Room, which provides activities students can use to practice mindfulness and stress relief. We have additional information and resources in the Social-Emotional Well-Being section of our 2020-21 Reopening Plan.
